Rocky Hill Country Day School Library: Pre-Colonial Civilizations Project

With this six title series, readers get hands-on experience on technological innovations throughout the ages. Projects and descriptions of the tools and processes of ancient civilizations help readers understand how people lived. The text covers all aspects of ancient life, including food preparation, clothing and crafts, transporation, warfare, health and beauty, building sports, and more.

Who were the Aztecs? Did they grow their own food? Did they build cities? Who did they worship? What was it like to live in the Aztec world? This series takes an exciting look at religion, history, and culture through the everyday lives of people from all over the world. Using color photographs and detailed illustrations, each book helps young people ask questions and leads them toward a better understanding of a particular historical era, faith or civilization.

Full-color photos. Unravel the remarkable mysteries of the ancient peoples who built great palaces and pyramids, and developed an accurate calendar and a knowledge of astronomy without the benefit of telescopes or written language.  

The ruins and tombs high in the Andes Mountains of Peru yield valuable clues to lives of the Ancient Incas. In 1995, the Inca Ice Maiden is recovered, one of four human sacrifices found on Ampato. These mummies provide scientists with perfectly preserved "time capsules"-packed with clues to Inca civilization during the 1400s. Cuzco, the seat of Inca power, reveals the remains of the Inca railroad system and the incredible fortress of Sacsayhuaman. The Coricancha, Cuzco's spectacular Inca temple of worship, contains vital clues to the Incas' spiritual culture, which are also revealed in artifacts recovered from tombs. Inca archaeological sites such as the Old Temple at Chavin de Huantar and the Huaca del Sol continually paint a portrait of an extremely advanced civilization, which left no written record of its history. Ancient Inca includes an interview with Dr. Constanza Ceruti, a high-altitude archaeologist and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer currently working in Peru.National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

A first-person account of the 1995 discovery of the over 500-year-old Peruvian ice mummy on Mount Ampato and a description of the subsequent retrieval and scientific study.

Full-color photos. Unravel the remarkable mysteries of the ancient peoples who built great palaces and pyramids, and developed an accurate calendar and a knowledge of astronomy without the benefit of telescopes or written language.  

The ancient Maya were known for their amazing pyramids, elaborate writing system, and endeavors in mathematics and science. They also built magnificent cities, such as Tikal, Copan, and Palenque. The culture began to collapse when the Spanish invaded the region in the 1500s. Today, some of the cultural traditions and languages of the ancient Maya are carried on by their descendants in Mexico and Central America. This book explores the ancient Maya through social structure. It details the duties of a ruler, the activities of a farmer, and much more. It also describes some of the discoveries and writings that have led to our present-day understanding of this fascinating culture. People of the Ancient World creates portraits of life in ancient civilizations through a look at the inhabitants. Each book focuses on a different culture and the various parts of its society, including farmers, scribes, priests, soldiers, artisans, and rulers. Incorporated throughout each book is a discussion of how we know what we know about the featured civilization. Sidebars highlight important archaeological discoveries and interesting facts. A biographical dictionary introduces readers to important historical figures, and a horizontal time line shows the key events in the evolution of the civilization. Book jacket.

Full-color photos. Unravel the remarkable mysteries of the ancient peoples who built great palaces and pyramids, and developed an accurate calendar and a knowledge of astronomy without the benefit of telescopes or written language.